Hanjin Pennsylvania Fire 2002
Vessel name Hanjin Pennsylvania
Date 11-nov-2002
Location Indian Ocean, 150 km south of Sri Lanka underway to Europe Remarks Due to a fire in the hold,
containers with fireworks and phosforus caught fire and exploded. A huge fire results in crew must abandon
the just 4 months old ship, on her second voyage to Europe.
The ship was towed to a port to discharge the containers and vessel was sold to Indian breakers since the
rebuilding costs would be more expensive then demolish the ship. Zodiac Maritime (UK) bought
the ship and she is now sailing around as the "Norasia Bellatrix".
Hanjin Pennsylvania fire "has gutted accommodation & engine room" At least 6 rows of containers on
deck & under deck have been effected by the blaze, which is understood to have started in a container
carrying fireworks & spread to engulf the area immediately forward of the superstructure. But as the ship
continues to burn, and salvage crews are still hampered in their attempts to board the vessel to carry out
firefighting operations, experts are already suggesting the likely cause of the explosion was not a container
full of fireworks.
The fire was understood to have started in below deck spaces, according to Hanjin sources.
Fireworks should be carried on deck & are regarded as hazardous cargo. The similarity of the explosion &
fires onboard Hanjin Pennsylvania present an uncanny resemblance to those onboard other containerships,
where a commodity known as calcium hypochorite (more commonly known as a purifying or bleaching agent
used in swimming pools for example), has been identified as the main cause.
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